Topic

Resources

From IT industry trends and best practices, to Arcserve solution demos, brochures, and case studies – you can find everything you need right here. Find trusted guidance, in-depth technical information, practical tips, and more in our resource treasure-trove.

Asia

Ransomware attackers are the schoolyard bullies of cyberspace, and they’re unrelenting in their hunt for your “milk money.” Get caught unprepared, and you’ll be forced to choose between rewarding the cyber extortionist with bitcoins—or weathering the financial burden that naturally results from data loss and downtime.

Well, we think that stinks.

To that end, we’ve drawn up a list of ransomware tools and resources that won’t break the bank—or leave a dent, for that matter. That’s right: Here are the nine freebies we think you should check out right now.

System Analyzer

Our Ransomware Watch consortium partner, Webroot calls its Webroot® System Analyzer a CT scan for your PCs. And, armed with the crucial insights it delivers, you can work to improve the health and security status of your environment.

For example, the application identifies common issues, like:

Malware infections

Outdated drivers

Outdated systems and software

Disabled user account controls

Failed anti-spyware software

Failed antivirus software

Fragmented files

Issues it won’t identify:

Your Jimmy Buffett/Margaritaville shirt collection

Failed pattern mixing

Wearing white after Labor Day

Still, if you can’t be fashion forward, you can at least be ahead of the curve when it comes to malware.

And since the Webroot System Analyzer takes less than two minutes to run, gives you a detailed status report that identifies potential problems—and doesn’t require any installation, ahead is precisely where you’ll be.

Weak Password and Phishing Security Tests

Here’s a twofer from another of Ransomware Watch consortium partner, KnowBe4.

First up: The Weak Password Test. This test assesses your Active Directory and reports on employee accounts that are “protected” by weak, duplicate, and missing passwords. (But, let’s be honest: If you have a missing password, you don’t even deserve to call yourself “protected” in quotes.)

With this insight in-hand, you can immediately address employee password weaknesses and determine if you need to reassess your password policy.

While you’re in the testing mood, we also recommend you try KnowBe4’s Phishing Test on for size.

This test enables you to safely phish up to 100 employees, helping you determine how vulnerable your organization is to the threat. It then generates a report, indicating how your employees fare compared to the industry standard, so you can consider whether you might need to revisit your end user training efforts.

How to respond to ransomware attacks with proven ransomware data recovery methods

Get your ransomware protection strategy right, and you’ll have some free time on your hands. In which case, you can print out each video frame and stitch them into a quilt so large, it will cover a California king-sized bed.

That’s pretty comprehensive for a webinar and really highlights it’s efficacy as a security blanket.

Hostage Rescue Manual

Not to be confused with Hostage Rescue Manuel—the best Spanish language crisis simulator that hasn’t been made yet—KnowBe4’s Hostage Rescue Manual walks you through precisely what to do upon discovering a ransomware infection. That means learning how you can negotiate and pay a ransom, and how to better protect yourself in the future.

What we really like about this resource: It includes a ransomware attack response checklist, as well as a ransomware prevention checklist.

Ransomware Prevention Guide

In the immortal words of DMX, “Where my [IT professionals]* at?”

The answer, we hope, is: “Busy following the advice in this ransomware prevention guide.”

There is simply no point in installing AV, if you don’t take basic precautions to prevent your most valuable servers from being hacked or if you’re still running a dangerously out-of-date** OS, like Microsoft XP, for example.

*Technically, the song’s title is “Where My Dogs At,” but the implication seems clear.
**Dangerously Out-Of-Date is also my MC Name.

Crypto Sheriff Decryption Assessment

Sure, Crypto Sheriff might sound like a data-based anthropomorphic animated crime dog, but you’d be wrong. Crypto Sheriff allows you to upload an encrypted file and, if there’s a solution that enables you to unlock all of your files for free, it will let you know.

Nice, right?

You can find Crypto Sheriff at No More Ransom—a website supported by a consortium of law enforcement and IT data security partners (though in this case they should probably be called “pardners”).

Ransomware Watch Blog

Last but not least, our Ransomware Watch blog is always a great place to turn for data security and backup and recovery insights.

We built this site, which is supported by our data security consortium partners, Knowbe4, VIPRE, Webroot, Infoblox, and Maureen Data Systems. And, together, we provide insights on topics ranging from the broad ransomware landscape at 10,000 feet (or 0b10011100010000, if you fancy binary), to a close-up look at how safe you are if you’re using Linux (short answer: Penguins do not prevent ransomware).

Our Website uses cookies to improve your experience. Please visit our Privacy notice page for more information about cookies and how we use them.

Get your data backed up with an Arcserve 30-day free trial

Experience complete protection for critical business data with image-based, heterogeneous backup, replication, high availability and global deduplication. Back up and recover to and from any target, and manage all processes with one unified console.